An Assistant's Assistance
by Card1na15
Summary: Clark saves Raya from the Phantom Zone. In return, Raya saves Clark from himself, at the cost of a great sacrifice by herself.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Realization

Lana was curled up on a couch in one of the many rarely used rooms in Luthor Mansion, mindlessly watching television. Lex was, yet again, out of town on business and she had nothing to do except gestate. Ever since the charity ball, Lex had become more and more distant. Their times together were shorter and spread increasingly farther apart. She had been wondering for some time if she had made yet another in a long line of blunders, and thatwas _before_ she learned about her pregnancy.

The only time Lana and Lex had had unprotected sex was the first time, and she was paying for that bit of stupidity on a constant basis. She _wanted_ to be a mom, desperately so at times, but not _now_…and she was increasingly unsure if he was a man she could raise a child with.

The baby was the only reason Lana was hanging on. She had few resources and even fewer options, and now with a baby on the way, that list of options had dwindled to none. She was stuck with Lex for the time being, for the good of the baby. A small voice in the back of her head told her it was good for _her_ health, too.

Once, in a drunken rage, Lex had threatened to have Lana declared an unfit mother after the birth if she ever tried to leave him. More and more, he was making her feel like equal parts trophy girlfriend and breeding machine. The ever-flowing river of love that had once poured from forth from him had all but dried up.

Lex had made it crystal clear to Lana that her duty was the baby. No trips were allowed, to the point that he didn't want her to leave the mansion unless absolutely necessary. She was to take every precaution, reasonable or otherwise, that would ensure the good health of _his _heir. No mention was ever made of the child being hers, too.

Finally facing what she had known deep down inside for some time, Lana admitted to herself that she wanted out of this relationship, but she had no idea how to get free. The only person she knew who had ever been able to stand up to the Luthors was not available to her any longer. She was pretty sure that any call to Clark Kent would be turned away unanswered.

_And why should Clark help me? _Lana wondered bitterly. _Sure, breaking us up was his idea, but since then I've been a royal b!tch to him. News of my pregnancy probably hasn't helped matters very much either. My one-time best friend and lover is lost to me. I just wish I had listened to what he and Chloe had had to say about Lex._

Lana was so wrapped up in her misery, that she didn't notice a beautiful blonde woman entering the room. Lana might've gone on not noticing her had the blonde not stepped up and introduced herself.

"Hello, Lana Lang, I am called Raya," said the blonde.

Pulled out of her dark thoughts by her basic politeness, Lana wondered who this woman was. She knew this woman wasn't a new member of the house staff. The staff members doted on Lana and she knew all of them by name. They were her one constant source of happiness these days.

"Who are you again?" Lana asked.

"My name is Raya."

"And how do you know my name? Do you work for Lex? Has he hired a new personal assistant?"

"Lex _Luthor?" _Raya asked. "From what Kal-El has told me, there is not a man on this world I would be less likely to want to know, much less work with." Proudly, she stated, "I was the primary research assistant for Jor-El of Krypton. None other than a member of the House of El may claim my assistance."

Lana immediately latched onto the name Kal-El. _Kal-El, _she thought, _he's_ _the being that Aethyr and Nam-Ek were seeking after the second meteor shower…and this Raya knows him, too. Does that make her an alien? _Instinctively, Lana began to edge away from Raya, who merely raised an eyebrow in response.

"You're…you're one of _them," _Lana said fearfully, "an alien like Aethyr and Nam-Ek."

"If by alien you mean, not native to this world, then you are correct. I am from Krypton, a long-dead planet in a different galaxy. The fact that you know and fear the names of those criminals bodes well for you, Lana Lang."

"If you're one of them, I know I can't do anything to you since Lex's meteor rocks are locked in the vault, and I can't get away from you, so…what do you want with me? I'm just an ordinary college girl."

"One that is newly pregnant," Raya added, "with Lex Luthor's baby."

"How do you know _that?"_

"I could say that I can hear the baby's heartbeat or that I can see the baby in your womb, both of which are true, but I learned that information in conversation with Kal-El."

"Who is this Kal-El you keep talking about? Aethyr and Nam-Ek came to Earth looking to find him."

"If it is answers you want, Lana Lang, I have them for you." Raya reached into a pocket and pulled out what looked to Lana to be a long, clear crystal. Setting the crystal on the coffee table in front of the couch Lana was on, Raya said, "In that crystal are all of the answers you have wanted for so long." Lana reached out to take the crystal, but Raya stopped her. "Do not touch that until you are sure of what you want and know what you are doing."

Hungry for answers, Lana said intently, "Then teach me."

Raya smiled for the first time and said, "Gladly."

They spent a long time together as Raya explained the origin of the crystal and its function. "I found the time crystal amidst some rubble while trying to repair Kal-El's Fortress of Solitude. That crystal should not have been there unless it had been created by Jor-El for a specific reason, its _only_ purpose is to alter the time stream. When I touched the time crystal, all of Kal-El's memories from the original time stream entered my mind."

"_Original_ time stream?" Lana asked.

"Yes, Kal-El changed time, what you would call 'changing history.' It is a risky process, normally undertaken only in the most dire of circumstances. In this case, his reason was woefully insufficient."

Curious, Lana asked, "What reason did he have?"

"To save the life of a single woman, a woman of no significance beyond her small circle of acquaintances."

"Who?"

"The woman he loved, and still loves to this day, his betrothed, Lana Lang."

"But…but…but that's me. I've never been engaged and I was dating…was dating…" _Oh my God, I was dating Clark at the time. She can't be talking about Clark! _But then everything fell into place, like the tumblers in a lock, and Lana realized that Raya was talking about Clark. All of her suspicions about him and his abilities, all of the things about him that never _quite_ made sense came into focus: Clark was Kal-El, he was an alien!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Education, Decision, and Action

Lana was staggered.

Over the years, Lana had come up with many explanations to account for what she both knew and suspected about Clark. But none of them came close to the truth. _I guess truth really __**is**__ stranger than fiction, _she thought.

Raya waited patiently as Lana processed this new information. Raya could tell, from the distracted, unfocused look in Lana's eyes, that she was having a hard time accepting the truth. _Denial of a hard truth is always the easiest way out._

Looking for something concrete to hold on to, Lana asked, "What answers, exactly, will that crystal give me? I mean, it just looks like a faceted piece of glass."

"Put your hand on the time crystal, and it will give you all of Kal-El's memories starting at the branching point of time and going all the way to the end of the original time stream. You will know every thought and every emotion. You will see things the way he saw them and will know _why_ he did what he did. You may not agree with his choices, I for one did not, but you _will _understand."

Lana drew in a sudden breath through clenched teeth. When it came to Clark, more than anything else, Lana had wanted to _understand_ him. Knowing why he did what he did, from compulsively saving anything that needed his help to just as compulsively lying to her about himself, was of paramount importance to her. Even knowing the truth wasn't as important, and from the knowing smile on Raya's face, she knew it, too.

"Understanding is a valuable thing, no?" Raya asked.

"Oh yes, very valuable," Lana breathed.

Determined, Lana reached forward and placed both hands on the time crystal. Her hands locked into place as the information was being downloaded into her brain. Her eyes darted back and forth under her closed eyelids, closely mimicking the patterns of R.E.M. sleep. To Lana, it felt just like a dream, if a dream could have laser-sharp images and sound anyway. In her mind, for the time in question, she _was_ Clark.

When Lana regained full consciousness she thought many hours had passed, but a question to Raya let her know the memory download had only taken a few minutes.

Lana was silent after that as she reviewed what she had just learned. A complete analysis of every thought and deed of Clark's would take a long time, but right now, she was getting quick impressions.

The first thing she dealt with was the absolute _weirdness_ of having almost an entire day of Clark Kent's life at her 'fingertips.' Three years ago, she had told Sarah Conroy that she would love to switch places with her and find out what goes on inside Clark's head. Now, she had finally gotten her wish.

Their day had started in a familiar manner with Clark turning over a piece of coal in his hand while waiting for her. The sensation of waiting around in the back of his mind while he waited for her to show up was bizarre. The bizarreness climbed at an exponential rate when she felt Clark's surge of love after hearing her own voice as she entered the loft. Still, knowing Clark had loved her so deeply at that time filled Lana with warmth.

Along with learning that Clark loved her, Lana also learned that he was incredibly attracted to her physically. That had been a very gratifying insight for her. The fact that he hadn't made love to her since the day he died had crushed her. She had thought he no longer found her sexually appealing. Knowing that was not the case lifted a weight off her shoulders. The real reason for his hands-off attitude was easier to take and was one she thought she would have been able to work around had she known about it. _Hurt me with his strength! _Lana thought. _Hah! As if he'd ever allow himself to do that…but it __**was**__ responsible of him to wait until he told me his big secret._

The most important thing Lana learned from Clark's thoughts was that his primary motivation for keeping her in the dark _hadn't_ been a lack of trust…it was fear. Fear that she'd reject him and fear that people would come after her to learn about him. In the end, however, his fear had worked in _her_ favor when his fear of losing her if he _didn't_ tell her his secrets had finally outgrown his fear of losing her if her _did_ tell her.

_He trusts me! He trusts me! _It was all she had ever needed from Clark, and she had had it all along. She was so happy right now, that she felt like dancing.

The rest of their time together that day had been pure bliss. Clark had explained his connection to the Kawatche caves and then, in the glimmering palace of ice and crystal that he thought of as his 'Fortress of Solitude,' he had told her everything. To top it all off, he had then proposed marriage. By now, Lana was desperately wishing the crystal had also contained her memories. To have had everything she had ever wanted to happen actually _happen,_ only to not remember a thing, was a serious blow.

Lana was beside herself with excitement now. Clark had proposed! Every dream she had ever had was coming true…or at least, had come true in the past. The more things went well in this memory, the more apprehensive Lana became about learning _exactly_ what had gone wrong.

The next part, learning that Chloe was his confidante, had been another blow. Chloe had been her competition in everything Clark-related since freshman year in high school, and knowing Chloe had learned Clark's most closely-guarded secrets before she herself had was a bitter pill to swallow. The slightly hurt expression on Chloe's face when Clark told her about the proposal was small recompense, but Lana would take what she could get. _You may have gotten his secrets first, _Lana thought, _but I won his heart! _She knew that kind of thought was petty, but she couldn't help it. Clark had _always_ brought out her competitive nature.

Lana had thought Clark's fear had peaked when he told her about Krypton, but she was wrong. Watching her make her way up the walk to meet him at the Kent farmhouse had been the absolute worst for him. He had been in agony waiting for her to announce her decision, but when she said, "As in, 'yes, Clark, I'll marry you,'" he'd jumped straight to ecstasy with no stops in between.

Once they were at the election night rally at the Talon, Lana could feel Clark's pride as he showed her off to everyone he could find. Chloe had just congratulated them both, saying she had known it was just a matter of time, when Mr. and Mrs. Kent finally showed up. Clark was anxious for their approval, but he needn't have worried. They welcomed her to the family with open arms.

When the election victory was announced, the Kents were pulled to one side by Lois for a lengthy photo op. Clark had lost track of Lana after that, not really surprising in a crowd of this size. The next time he heard from her was when she called him on his cell phone. She was on Route 40 on the other side of Loeb Bridge and she was in trouble.

_How could I get in trouble so quickly? _Lana wondered. _And out there? The only thing out there is the Luthor Mansion. _Lana didn't have long to wait to learn that answer. _Apparently, I went to visit Lex to comfort him and he figured out that Clark had told me everything and went into a drunken rage. I fled and he chased me down, determined to learn Clark's secrets from me. Clark had become increasingly worried during the conversation with me and was on the verge of going into action to save me when the sound of screeching tires, crunching sheet metal, and shattering glass filled his ear before the phone went dead._

Fear was no longer adequate to describe what was racing through Clark's mind as he turned on the jets to race to Lana's side. The scene was straight out of a really bad Driver's Ed video. Clark blew past the yellow school bus filled with Smallville High students returning from an out of town basketball game without even noticing them. Next to be disregarded in Clark's haste was Lex, as all Clark had eyes for was the demolished SUV sitting in the middle of the two-lane highway…or more accurately, the battered and blood-soaked body lying on the asphalt in front of the SUV. Lana recognized that SUV, which was no surprise since it was hers. She knew before Clark's memories told her, that she had to be the one lying in the road. The anguish Clark was suffering through was mirrored in her own soul as well. When he hurt, she hurt.

'Clark lost his mind for a few minutes' was the only way she could think of to accurately describe what happened next. He was racked with grief, and only the comforting presence of his dad kept him from doing God only knows what.

Knowing the depth and intensity of his love for her that she had first experienced earlier in the day, and knowing Clark's almost pathological need to save people, especially the ones he loves, what happened next wasn't really a surprise. Clark went to the Fortress to seek help. In his grief, he was ready to do anything, risk anything, _give up _anything, as long as she could live again.

Lana listened to the conversation Clark had with the disembodied voice very carefully. Making sense out of some of the things being said wasn't really possible without other information that was inside Clark's head. Luckily for her, she was inside his thoughts, and he was thinking about that 'other information' as he talked.

_So this is where Clark was brought back from the dead,_ Lana thought, _and in exchange, someone close to him had to die…and it was me. _Then she remembered that Jonathan had died the night of the election, and thought, _Did Clark exchange my life for that of his father? Could he have possibly known?_ Lana was horrified at the very idea and unbelievably angry at Clark for keeping this from her. _This price was something that affected us all. We had a right to know, and the all-knowing , all-powerful Clark Kent took it upon himself to keep it from us. Damn him!_

The next thing Clark said gave her cold chills, 'If I hadn't told her the truth about me she'd still be alive.' So that explained why he chickened out in the loft on the day that _she _remembered visiting with a 'scarf and gloves.' He thought that by keeping her ignorant, he would keep her safe, and she already knew he was willing to pay the price for their eventual breakup. He'd do _anything_ to keep her safe.

Lana didn't know how to reconcile the feelings she was having right now. She loved him so intensely that merely thinking about him made breathing difficult, but her love was competing with her rage at the cavalier way he made decisions that rightfully were hers to make.

Finally armed with the information she felt she should've had all along, Lana made a silent promise. _Clark Kent, when next we meet, your butt is mine!_

All she wanted was to leave the mansion and find Clark, wherever he was, but seeing Raya brought one last question to mind.

"Raya, not that I'm ungrateful, but why did you show me this? Clark and I were as happy as can be, but only for half a day."

Giving her what Lana could only describe as a crocodile smile, Raya said, "I showed you the first series of events because you have a choice. As a person inside the time change, you have the ability, and the right, to go back and change things yourself."

"How? I don't have any special abilities."

From an unseen pocket, Raya produced a smoky gray crystal similar in size and shape to the time crystal. "With this. Hold this crystal in one hand as you hold the time crystal in the other, and you can choose exactly which point in the _original _time stream to return to. Your choices start at the branching point in Kal-El's loft and continue until Kal-El changed time. Nothing that occurred after the point you choose will have happened, and the alternate time line will not have happened for anyone at all, except for you. Because you are the one holding the time crystal as time changes, your memories will be unaffected."

Thinking of her baby, which she was no longer certain she still wanted if it meant the child would be raised by Lex, Lana asked, "Will I still be pregnant if I choose to change things?"

"I'm sorry, Lana Lang," Raya said. "Your body will revert to how it was at the time you returned to." She held a finger up in warning. "Be careful. If you go back to the time of your accident, you _will_ be dead."

Lana chose her next words carefully. "You said Clark's reason for changing the past was 'insufficient.' What makes_ me_ messing with time any more proper?"

"I can't repair the Fortress of Solitude, not with the technology available on this planet and Kal-El needs more than I can provide him to become the man this planet needs him to be. He needs Jor-El's wisdom, he needs the collected knowledge of the known universe…most of all, he _needs_ a working Fortress of Solitude. The only way to make that happen is to rollback Kal-El's alterations. That is what I deem to be of sufficient enough value to risk another time change. The choice is yours. Choose wisely."

Lana thought of her life with Lex, and then thought of the life she could have with Clark. She didn't need to think it over, she chose Clark.

"Give me the crystal, I'm ready."

"There is one thing I would have you do."

"Anything. Name it."

Raya leaned close and said, "After this, I can't safely be brought out of the Phantom Zone. It's clear now that there is too great a risk of several others escaping with me, and I have no wish to live an eternity in that timeless wasteland, so give this message to Kal-El for me. Make _sure_ he discusses it with Jor-El. The message is, 'Raya is trapped in the Phantom Zone. She offers a final service to the House of El. _**No**_ price is too great.'"

As the full import of Raya's offer hit home, Lana said, "I'll remember." Looking up at Raya with tears in her eyes, Lana said, "Saying thank you is 'insufficient' in light of your great gift, but it's all I have to offer besides my promise to not waste this chance. So, thank you, Raya. You can never know what this means to me." That said, Lana grabbed one crystal in each hand, thought for a moment, and her world turned black.

No baby, no black Thursday, no break up, nothing.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Third Time's the Charm

For the merest fraction of a second, Lana felt dizzy. Her eyelids were scrunched tightly together and she was afraid to open them because she didn't want to be disappointed if these crystals didn't work. Finally, one eye started to creep open despite her fear. If the crystals had worked, she knew what she should be seeing, and she wasn't disappointed.

It was the floor of the Kent barn.

Her other eye shot open and she drank in her surroundings. Lana's excitement was rapidly building to a fever pitch, but there was one more thing she had to see to be sure. She charged up the wooden steps to the loft, and, facing away from her over by the half open Dutch doors, right where her memory said he was supposed to be, was Clark. Lana just exploded. Heedless of what he might think, she started jumping up and down like a loon and screaming "YES!"

Clark's mind had been so fixed on what he was going to say that Lana's sudden appearance startled him, and her unbridled excitement was _doubly _startling. He hadn't seen passion like that from her since she came to the house and discovered he hadn't died after all.

Lana saw him face her, and though she knew what his concerns were this morning, she couldn't wait to get her hands on him and tell him that she loved him. Clark's mind barely had time to register the fact that Lana was running toward him before she launched herself into the air. Reflexively, he dropped his piece of coal and was rewarded with a double handful of crying, kissing Lana as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. All she said was 'I love you,' but she said it at least once in between each kiss, and her kisses were falling like rain.

Clark was enjoying her attentions. In fact, he was beginning to enjoy them a little bit too much, so he finally lowered her to the floor and they both took a seat on the comfy couch.

"Lana, I love you, too, and your kisses are purest bliss, but, umm…what brought this on?"

Lana slumped over to rest the side of her face on his shoulder as she said in a plaintive tone of voice, "Oh, Clark, I've just survived the most _horrific _nightmare! Seeing you here, and being able to _be_ with you after all of that, was more than I could take. So…I…kissed you."

Clark thought 'survived' was on odd thing to say about a nightmare, but he wrapped her in his arms, and said, "Repeatedly."

"Huh?"

"Kissed me…_repeatedly," _Clark said smugly.

Being playful with her reply, Lana asked, "And that's a _problem _for you?"

"No. As I said, your kisses are bliss."

"I believe '_purest _bliss' is what you said."

Clark grinned and said, "I stand corrected. Your kisses are _purest _bliss." He stretched forward, snagged his lump of coal off of the floor, and continued, "I know things have been weird between us lately, but I asked you to meet me here because I have something important to tell you, something that I should have told you a long time ago."

Thanks to Raya and the time crystal, Lana already knew exactly what he wanted to tell her, but she wanted to _experience_ this, she wanted Clark to actually tell her of his own volition. This was to be the most magical of days, and Lana didn't mind in the least that she had already had a sneak preview.

Lana could feel Clark's heart pounding as she leaned against him, but she thought it wasn't pounding as hard as it had been the first time. _Maybe my kisses relaxed him a little bit. An unintended side effect to be sure, but I'm not above taking the credit._

Haltingly, Clark began by confirming what she had long suspected about him having 'special abilities.' Only, he had more of them than she had thought. She hadn't experienced too many of them during the one day she spent inside his head, and two of those, the strength and speed, she had already suspected. But alongside strength, speed, and heat vision, and the long-suspected virtual indestructibility, he added two kinds of x-ray vision and hearing.

"Keeping secrets from you is going to be hard with you having those last two abilities, Clark."

"I thought you didn't _like_ secrets," he teased.

"I'm not talking about big, important secrets. I mean the kind of small, personal secrets that a girl _needs_ to keep from her guy, if only for a little while."

"So things like…surprise birthday parties are okay?"

"Yes. I just don't want you hiding the big stuff. I can handle _anything_ you can throw at me, but I can only handle the things that you _share_."

Clark digested that thought for a bit and then cautiously asked, "Are you okay with my abilities?"

"Perfectly."

She said that with such serene confidence that Clark began to wonder.

"Okay." Clark stood and held out his hand. "Then come with me, I have one more secret to tell you. This one…this one is the big one."

Lana knew she would've been apprehensive to hear that Clark had a secret that was bigger than all of his abilities, but now, since she knew what he wanted to say, she confidently took his hand and stood. "Wherever you lead, I will follow, Clark."

"Hold onto your hair then." Clark dipped and lifted Lana into the air, cradling her at shoulders and knees. He gave her a moment to gather her long hair and hold it in both hands, and then was off like a shot. Seconds later he sat her down in the Kawatche caves. He lead her past the key slot to a room she had never seen on her own before. Somehow the room seemed more vibrant and the runic symbols on the table seemed more sharply defined now that she was seeing them for herself.

When Clark said that what he was about to show her may change the way she feels about him, Lana stepped in close. Staring into his eyes, Lana _willed_ him to feel her love and absolute confidence in him. "No, Clark. Nothing you say will change the way I feel about you. Trust _us_ like you trust me and everything will work out."

Incredulous, Clark asked, "You mean that, don't you?" He shook his head in disbelief. "All this time, I've been sure I was losing you and here you show me hidden reserves of strength, love, and compassion that humble me. How could I ever deserve you?"

Thinking that maybe she'd overplayed her hand just a little bit, Lana said, "Don't nominate me for sainthood just yet. There are things going on in my life that we need to talk about once you are done telling your secrets."

Once Clark slid the octagonal key into the slot on the table, he told her, "It's okay." The transformation that came over him when he placed the key in the slot was amazing. He switched from being nervous and in need of reassurance to being a confident man that was offering her some support in the blink of an eye.

As the room lit up with a golden radiance, Lana couldn't help but look around in wonder, even though she knew what was going to happen next. A sudden breeze whipped their hair around and Clark offered her his hand, asking her, "Do you trust me?"

Without even a moment's hesitation, Lana slipped her hand into his and gave him a quick squeeze. In Clark's memories, she had noticed that his eyes had never left her face from the time he put the key into the slot until after he had proposed, and so it was this time. Already knowing what she would see and not needing to see it again, Lana decided to keep her eyes focused on him.

Clark and Lana shot through the coruscating tube of blue-white energy, ending up in the Fortress of Solitude. There was no looking around like a tourist for her this time, instead, her eyes were still locked on his. The intensity of her gaze let him know he had her undivided attention, so he decided to plunge on ahead before the strength of his intentions failed him.

"When you asked me if I believed in life on other planets," Clark said, "you had no idea how ironic that question was." Lana waited patiently as Clark gathered himself. "I'm from a planet called Krypton."

Lana remembered how desperately nervous he had been when telling her his big secret, and she wanted nothing more than to reassure him, to let him know that everything was going to be fine. Just as before, she stepped in close and let her right hand slide up to caress his face.

"Clark, it's not where you're from, but _who you are _that matters to me." As his head began to lean into her caress, she added, "You're still Clark Kent, still the man I love."

Clark's heart soared when he heard that. It was what he had most wanted from Lana ever since they first met. _She knows everything about me, _Clark thought, _and she still loves me._ Clark couldn't contain his joy, so he scooped Lana into his arms once more and leapt for a small outcrop of ice and crystal far overhead. Once again, his eyes remained fixed on her face, and again, Lana made the choice to do the same. As they soared to the top of the Fortress, they were off in their own little world, each thinking only of the other.

Completely thrilled with the way she was responding to his secrets, Clark couldn't help but break out into a smile. His biggest fears had just melted away like the last snow of spring, leaving more room for their relationship to grow. Lana felt his joy, and when his serious look gave way to a dazzling smile, she responded in kind.

By the time they landed on the small outcrop Clark had chosen for them, they were engaged in a full lip lock. How he pulled off the landing with his eyes closed was a mystery to Lana…or it would have been had she been paying attention to anything other than his mouth.

When they finally broke the kiss, Clark set Lana down and she leaned her head against his chest. This was their moment and neither one wanted it to end, so they each wrapped the other in a warm embrace and held on. Clark finally remembered he had one more item on his agenda, so as much as he didn't want to, he let Lana go and reached into a pocket for his lump of coal.

Clark's hand came up and opened, clearly showing Lana that it was a lump of coal. She knew what was coming and had to struggle mightily to contain her excitement. Then, he closed his hand around the coal and began to squeeze. The compressing lump of coal gave off light, some of which snuck from between his fingers. When he was done, all that was left of the coal were a few grains of coal dust and a perfectly-faceted diamond.

Clark blew the coal dust away and then produced a simple gold band with an open, four-prong setting. He placed the newly-formed gem into the setting and then fixed it in place by heating up the setting with his heat vision. She had seen this all before from his perspective, but she was still in awe, and her excitement was building with each passing second. _If he doesn't propose this very second, _she thought, _I'm gonna rip that ring out of his hand and put it on my finger all by myself._ Thankfully, she didn't have to wait.

"There are many clever things that I've thought about saying at this moment, but what they all boil down to is this: I love you, Lana, and I always will. I can't imagine a future for me that doesn't have you by my side." Still holding the ring up high, Clark dropped to one knee. "Will you do me the very great honor of becoming my wife? Lana Elizabeth Lang, will you marry me?"

Lana had thought she was ready for this proposal, after all, she knew when and where it was coming, but that didn't matter at all. She had begun to shake halfway through Clark's short speech and by the time he said the magic words, she was crying tears of joy. Words were impossible but she furiously nodded her head 'yes' as she stuck out her left hand.

In his haste, Clark dropped the ring, but he used super-speed to snag it out of midair. He then took her left hand in his and used his right hand to gently slide the ring on her ring finger. Lana's emotional outpouring was affecting Clark and he began to cry right along with her as they celebrated all alone at the top of the world.

Finally, the river of happy tears slowed to a trickle and Clark said, "I think it's time to get back to Smallville. I can't wait to show off you and that ring to everyone we know."

Regretfully, Lana shook her head 'no' as she said, "I'd love that, but we don't have time. We need to talk about my secrets and we need to do it now while there's still time left."

Clark was bewildered by Lana and asked, "What secrets? And still time left for what?"

"There's still time to save the life of someone close to you…you know, the payment for your resurrection. Apparently the bill comes due tonight, and I don't know which one of us will die this time."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Father Knows Best

Clark couldn't believe what he had just heard. Lana had just admitted that she knew all about the price that had to be paid in return for his life._ How long has she known? How did she learn? _

"How did you learn about that?" Clark asked. "That's a more closely kept secret than where I'm from."

Not sure how to handle this, Lana said, "We don't have time for 20 Questions right now. Just get us back on ground level because we need to talk to this Jor-El character."

Clark thought his eyes were going to bug out of his head when he heard Lana mention Jor-El. _How the flip does she know that name? I swear, if Chloe's been talking to her, I'll wrap her VW around a tree._

"Close your mouth, Clark, the doctor's not here with a tongue depressor."

Clark wasn't sure if he could take any more surprises from Lana right now, but he was about to find out because Lana pointed down to the floor of the Fortress far below her and said, "Down there, Clark. Now. I have to pass on a message to you and Jor-El from a woman trapped in something called the Phantom Zone."

Dumbfounded by Lana's inexplicable knowledge, Clark did as he was asked. He scooped his new fiancée up in his arms and leapt off of the precipice. As they picked up speed on their trip downward, it suddenly occurred to Clark to wonder how Lana was going to survive the landing. The gravitational forces caused by a sudden stop from the speeds they were reaching might cause her some internal injuries. As much as he hated the idea, he needed to try and slow down their descent and the only possible way was to try and fly.

Clark forgot all about how much he usually hated heights, all he wanted was to move upward just enough to slow their downward fall. Unfortunately, he thought 'UP' with great force and they rocketed skyward, accidentally shooting out of the top of the Fortress before coming to a halt a good five hundred feet in the air when Clark thought 'SLOW DOWN' and 'STOP.'

Lana assumed that flight was something special he'd been saving, so she was as calm as can be. Clark, on the other hand, was panicking like never before. Setting a classroom, and the Talon, on fire was small potatoes compared to hovering five hundred feet in the air without having any idea of how flying really worked.

"Wrong direction, Clark," Lana said humorously. "But I do like this demonstration of another ability…or are you going to tell me you just learned how to fly?"

That last comment was intended as a joke, but when Lana saw the sickly pallor of Clark's face, she realized she was riding along with a student pilot…one who had never had a single flying lesson in his life.

Lana decided that distracting Clark right now would be a bad idea, so she kept quiet and began silently praying. Clark, meanwhile, was reviewing his thoughts just before they shot skyward. All he could remember was thinking 'UP,' and thinking it very hard. So maybe thinking 'DOWN' would work, only this time, he wanted to think it very softly.

Wonder of wonders, it seemed to be working. Clark and Lana started floating straight down at a pace that might not harm an egg upon landing. Lana wondered why they were moving so slowly, but she wasn't _about_ to ask him to speed up. For his part, Clark was proud of himself for figuring it out all by himself and was smiling like Lewis Carroll's Cheshire Cat. It took them several minutes to reach the floor of the Fortress, but Clark was not going to risk moving faster with Lana along for the ride.

Once they hit the ground, Clark and Lana embraced as Clark said, "I'm glad you liked the demonstration and yes, that _was_ my first time flying…unless you want to count what happened while you were in Paris with Jason."

"Sorry, Clark. I…don't seem to remember anyone named Jason. Do you?"

"Nope. There _was_ an assistant football coach by that name, but you _definitely_ weren't dating him."

"Didn't think so." Turning for a quick look around the Fortress, Lana saw the console and immediately headed for it. "Is this Jor-El really your father?"

"Yes." Clark followed her, but decided it would be better for him to hold off on mentioning Jor-El's role in his disappearances after their sophomore and junior years in high school. She might not be especially understanding of that, and from what she said, this is important.

"How do I contact him, Clark?"

"Just call out to him. He should answer."

Lana turned to face to vast open spaces of the Fortress from her position at the console and said, "Jor-El!"

She was met with silence.

Once again, "Jor-El!"

More silence.

Finally, Lana spoke softly and said, "Jor-El. I have a message for you from Raya, an old assistant of yours who is trapped in the Phantom Zone." _He who ignores a shout, _Lana thought,_ strains to hear a whisper._

_That_ brought a response from Jor-El.

"You would be the one called Lana Lang, beloved of my only son, Kal-El."

_Works every time! _Lana thought. "I don't know Kal-El very well, but I love Clark Kent…still, that's not what I'm here for right now. I have a message to pass on to you and to Clark."

"How do you know who Raya is? Outside communication for one trapped in the Phantom Zone is impossible."

"Maybe, but she was standing right next to me when she gave me the message."

"Explain, Child."

Sneaking a look at Clark, Lana enjoyed the fact that, for once in their lives, she was the one with the information. Turning back to the console, she said, "Well, to tell this in an understandable way, I'll have to tell the entire story." She reached over, clutched Clark's hand, and said, "There are some things you'll hear that will be painful for you. Other things I say may make you angry, but I beg of you in advance, please give me a chance to explain later."

That scared Clark more than he wanted to let on, so he just squeezed her hand in response.

"Anyway, this story starts today, only, this is the third time Clark and I have lived this day. The first time…"

Lana's tale went on for a long time. In it, Clark learned many things he'd rather not have known: that Lana had died in a car wreck while being chased by Lex, that he'd changed time to save her but had only exchanged her life for that of his dad, that he'd driven her away in a misguided attempt at saving her life only to send her into the arms of the man he was trying to save her from, and that that man had inadvertently helped release General Zod from his extra-dimensional prison.

Lana's tales of the destruction wrought by Brainiac and Zod were horrific. She wasn't sure how he had been defeated, but she did note that she thought it had to have been Clark, since no one else could hope to compete with Zod.

Lana then related Raya's story, how Raya had found the time crystal and had sought her out in the Luthor Mansion. Then, at last, she mentioned Raya's offer, 'Trapped in the Phantom Zone…a last service to the House of El…No price too great.'

Clark was focused on Lana, he wanted to beg her forgiveness on the spot for the things he had put her through. Even though he hadn't made his mistakes yet, she had already suffered because of them.

Jor-El was more practical, he was sorting through Lana's tale and found it to be true. She knew too many otherwise unknowable things to have made this up, things even Kal-El did not know. She was also correct about Raya. His one-time assistant could _not_ be safely brought out of the Phantom Zone now, and no one should have to live an eternity like that if they had not earned it. So Jor-El consented to do it. It was possible to contact her from this side. In fact, the very act of contact would kill her, and her death would be enough to balance Kal-El's resurrection.

Once Clark figured out what was going on, he tried to protest, but Lana held him back, and said, "Clark, she's stuck in Hell and this is her only way out. She sacrificed her freedom on Earth to help you regain the support you need here at the Fortress. My reset of time also returned those criminals that had escaped, and it saved countless lives and untold property damage here on Earth. After sacrificing her freedom to help you and this planet, you owe it to her to allow her to make this last sacrifice.

"Besides, if you don't, the person that dies, and I'm convinced they will die tonight, could be me, or your dad, or your mom, or Chloe, or maybe even Lois. If _someone_ has to die for you, shouldn't that be someone that is irrevocably trapped in Hell?"

Clark's shoulders slumped in defeat, he knew she was right, he was just _tired_ of other people paying for his mistakes. Seeing no more protest from his son, Jor-El turned on his Phantom Zone projector and searched for Raya. Once she was located, he locked in on her body and made contact. Her death was immediate, her body disintegrated, she never knew what hit her.

"The life has been exchanged," Jor-El intoned.

Clark's friends and family were safe.

Before Clark and Lana left to try and make it to the election party on time, Jor-El had one parting thought for his son: "According to Lana Lang's memories, I told you once that there was one trial you had yet to experience. Due to the greatness of Raya's double sacrifice, you might never have to. DO **NOT** WASTE THIS CHANCE."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Start Spreading the News

Clark and Lana were hand-in-hand as they walked out of the Kawatche caves. Their bodies were pressed so tightly together that their clasped hands had to be held slightly in front of their bodies. Their moods, mirror images of each other, were happy, but subdued. The thought of the high price that had been paid for their happiness quelled any tendency they might've had to race around town celebrating their engagement.

Clark and Lana _were_ going to go ahead and attend to the election rally/victory party. They had enough time to get ready and still make it on time. Clark sped Lana to his house where her SUV and her change of clothes for the party were both located. Since their unexpected pow-wow with Jor-El had taken much of the afternoon, Lana hadn't been able to go to the Talon early and help Lois decorate. So while Lana was taking her garment bag into the Kents' house, she called Lois on her cell phone to apologize for the no-show.

Lois didn't answer, which surprised Lana since she vaguely remembered Lois was planning on staying at the Talon after finishing the decorations so she could keep tabs on the early election returns while waiting for the party to start.

Clark took the first shower, even though he had gallantly offered it to Lana. Lana pointed out that he could shower quickly and then dress in his room, while she'd need to use the bathroom mirror to get ready after showering, so he should go first.

As Clark finished towel-drying his hair with a burst of super-speed, he could hear the water running in the shower, and he smirked when he realized that having Lana naked in his shower had been a hormonal teenage fantasy of his that had now come true. Of course, those thoughts led to other, related, thoughts and soon, Clark was seriously considering acting on those thoughts for the first time since his death. _Now's not the time for that, _he thought, _but sometime soon, it will be._

Lana took her time getting ready which was something Clark never begrudged her, because the results were always so spectacular. When she finally appeared, she was just pulling on her blue-gray double-breasted overcoat. Once she adjusted her white wool scarf and grabbed her purse, she was ready to go.

Lana was impressed to see Clark looking sharp in a dark blue suit, light blue oxford shirt, and a white-and-blue-striped red silk tie. He pulled on a black wool overcoat for show, and escorted his lady to her SUV.

By the time they made it to the Talon, the early arrivers were already celebrating the first set of official returns which showed Jonathan in the lead. Because this night belonged to Jonathan, and because Raya's death dampened their excitement, Clark and Lana were trying to go low-key with the news of their engagement. Not seeing the Kents yet, the newly engaged couple searched out a few important friends and quietly broke the news.

Chloe was first, and she was flabbergasted at the news. It was a rare occasion when Chloe Sullivan is caught speechless, but this was one of them. Her mouth hung open like a fish gasping for air as she flailed away in her mental dictionary, desperately trying to find the right words. The only thing she managed to utter, however, was a shriek…and then Lana showed her the ring.

That brought her out of her funk and she said, "Shut up! You two did _not_ just get engaged," as she pulled Lana's hand in close for a proper inspection. Her characteristic snark came back full force as she said, "Hey, Clark, this ring is great! It doesn't even _look_ like you got it out of a vending machine."

Clark gave Chloe the evil eye while Lana rolled her eyes. Clark's glare had no effect on her as she fired an ear-to-ear grin at her two best friends. "It was only a matter of time for you two. I'm so happy for you both."

Chloe then launched herself at Lana for a bearhug. She knew much of what Clark and Lana had gone through to reach this point in their lives, and she was genuinely thrilled for them. With her mouth near Lana's ear, Chloe asked, "So, are you ready to take on this big lug?"

Also whispering, Lana replied, "Yes, Chloe, both sides of him. The humble man that I love, and the super-powered hero that I admire."

When Chloe heard this confirmation that Clark had _finally_ grown himself a brain and let Lana in, she gave Clark a big thumbs-up behind Lana's back. After the girls stepped back, Clark asked Chloe if she had seen Lois yet this evening.

"No," Chloe replied, "and that's strange. With _her_ mouth, I should be able to _hear_ her if she was anywhere near this place tonight."

Becoming concerned, Lana said, "I tried to call her earlier to apologize for missing out on the decorating, and she didn't answer her cell. Maybe something's wrong. She's worked too hard to miss this party."

"Yeah," Clark replied, "when was the last time _Lois_ missed a party?"

Clark decided to start at the obvious location, her upstairs apartment. He trotted up the steps with Lana and Chloe close behind. When a sharp knock on the door went unanswered, he used his x-ray vision and immediately found a body lying on the floor of the apartment. Clark charged inside and picked an unconscious Lois up off of the floor. Chloe was already on her cell phone calling 911, and Lana was checking Lois for any obvious injuries after shutting off the water in the sink.

Minutes later, Lois was awake but somewhat groggy as the paramedics rolled her into the ambulance for the short trip to Smallville Medical Center. Just before she was pushed into the waiting ambulance, she saw the ring on Lana's finger and grinned. She picked Clark's face out of those crowding around her and cracked, "So, Smallville, you finally nutted up and took the plunge. How sweet!"

The Kents pulled up just as the ambulance was leaving. They had been out for a quiet dinner before heading over to the Talon. Not seeing any panicked faces, Jonathan's first inclination was to ask 'Who died?' but then he remembered that death was a touchy subject with Clark right now. Before he could think of a new way to phrase his question, Martha asked, "Who's in the ambulance and what happened to put them there?"

Chloe rolled her eyes and said, "Danger-prone Lois knocked herself unconscious in her apartment. We found her just a few minutes ago."

"Is she going to be all right?" Jonathan asked concernedly.

"Don't worry, Mr. Kent…or should I say _Senator_ Kent? Lois' head is _much_ harder than whatever she hit."

As everyone moved back inside, Clark and Lana waited for the crowd to disperse a bit before approaching his parents. They didn't know anything about what Clark had planned, much less the shocker that Lana had added to his schedule, so they were stunned to see a diamond ring sparkling from her ring finger as she strategically placed her left hand on Clark's chest.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kent," Lana said. "I know that this is as much of a surprise for you as it is for me."

"Does this mean what I think it does?" Jonathan asked. Martha didn't waste her time with stupid questions, she just made her way forward to get a closer look at the ring, and to welcome Lana to the family.

"Yes, Dad, all of it." Clark shook his head in wonder. "She _knows,_ and yet, she's still wearing my ring." The four of them spent several moments in heartfelt congratulation until the crowd quieted to hear the local TV station declare a winner.

When the crowd finally became silent, the four of them could hear the news anchor say, "…Jonathan Kent has just been elected to the Kansas State Senate in a staggering upset over corporate mogul Lex Luthor."

The Talon erupted in cheers, and congratulations were coming in fast from the crowd of Kent supporters. When Jonathan's cell phone rang and he moved off to answer it, that reminded Clark of one more person he needed to inform of his engagement tonight. He needed to get on the cell phone and call long-time friend Pete Ross. Pete was safe in Wichita these days, but they still kept in touch, and this was one piece of information Pete would definitely want to have.

Clark had no sooner dug out his phone than Lana's phone rang. She checked the caller id and saw it was Lex. She looked at the iridescent blue of her phone's screen for several long seconds before putting her phone away. _Too much pain came of answering his call last time, _Lana thought. _I know he's hurting right now, but I can't take that chance. I'll talk to him tomorrow…by phone._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - A New Beginning

With Lois not there to supervise things, it took a little while to get things organized, but eventually, the photographer corralled the Kents for a photo shoot. Lana was going to sit to one side and watch, but Clark wouldn't have it.

"You're one of the family now, Lana," Clark said with a grin, "so get over here. Please?" Lana demurred but gave in when Jonathan and Martha enthusiastically seconded the idea.

The photographer took a number of family shots before concentrating on Jonathan and Martha, and finally, just on Jonathan. Martha looked on with adoring eyes as Jonathan posed. She rarely got to see her farmer husband all dressed up, but she thought he cleaned up _just_ fine.

Martha snuck a peek at Clark and Lana, who were both still nearby, but off in their own little world. For years, Martha had privately wondered if he would ever be able to find that special someone, a someone who would have to be extra-special to deal with him and his heritage. Looking at Lana, Martha couldn't imagine anyone being a better daughter-in-law. Lana was going to work out well.

Once the last guests left, Clark and Lana took it upon themselves to clean up the Talon since Lois was incapacitated and the Talon staff needed the place to be spotless when they opened for business the next day. All that was involved was Lana locking the doors and staying nearby to act as a lookout while Clark used his super-speed to clean the place in no time.

Amazed as the mess disappeared as if by magic, Lana clucked her tongue and said, "You are going to be _sooooo_ handy to have around the house, Clark."

Clark lifted the numerous trash bags with one hand and, as he headed for the back door, looked back over his shoulder and replied, "As long as I get to be the one sharing that house with you, then being handy is fine with me."

Lana locked up with the spare key she had always kept at Lex's insistence and they headed to Clark's place. From the darkness of the house, the Kents appeared to already be in bed, so Clark and Lana headed to the loft. They had left their heavy overcoats in the SUV, but Lana had a walking heat source beside her to help keep her warm.

"This super-speed of yours will also come in handy in our relationship, now that you've officially let me know about it."

"How so?" Clark asked, as they climbed the last few steps to the loft.

"I live a three-hour drive away from you right now, but for _you, _the trip might only be a fifteen minute run, so I expect frequent visits from you."

Clark led Lana over to the half-open Dutch doors where he turned to her and said, "Five minutes."

"Huh?"

"The trip takes only five minutes when I'm really in a hurry…which is roughly five times as long as the _one _minute it took for me to fall in love with you the first day we met."

Lana never tired of hearing Clark tell her how much he loved her, but now that she had experienced the bitter pain of their future breakup, his declarations of love were sweeter still. "I don't know if you heard this or not the day you got shot," Lana said, "but it's just as true today as it was then. 'From the first moment that I saw you, I _knew _that no one could make me happier than you.'"

The two of them fell into a kiss, one of warmth and building passion. Not sure if Clark was ready to resume a physical relationship with her, and not wanting to get all worked up only to be turned away yet again, Lana broke off the kiss and retreated to the couch.

Confused, Clark took a seat beside her and asked her, "What's wrong?"

"Kissing you like that, especially in this place, leads me to…" Shy about saying what she wanted now that the moment was upon her, Lana struggled to get her words out. "It leads me to want something more. Tonight of all nights, I want to be close to you, Clark. I want to celebrate our love, and the gift of life we've been given. What I want right now…is _you. _But what I need to know is, are you going to turn me away again? You're not going to hurt my body, so…"

The rest of Lana's words were muffled by Clark's lips pressing against hers. Soon, their tongues were questing, probing into each other's mouth. As Lana began pushing the blue suit coat from Clark's shoulders, he pulled back and said, "Not here, not now at least."

"Why not?" Lana asked. She was afraid Clark was still worried he'd hurt her and she was steeling herself to be disappointed once again.

"Because it's Kansas in January. If we do what we both want to do, you'll freeze your sexy butt off."

"Well, my 'sexy butt' thanks you for your consideration, but I want some lovin', Clark, and I want it right now. So what are you going to do about it?"

Clark stood, shrugged his coat back onto his arms, and picked her up. A second later, they were at the door to her SUV, where Clark instructed her to put on her overcoat. Once she had complied and locked the SUV again, Clark picked her back up and said, "Bury your face in my chest. It will be the only way to keep it warm." As soon as Lana did as she was bid, Clark was off like a shot. Five minutes later, they were standing at the door to the dorm room she shared with Chloe.

Lana grinned when she realized that Chloe was gone for the night in Smallville and likely wouldn't come back to Metropolis until Lois checked out of the hospital in the morning. Lana quickly fished her room key out of her pocket and unlocked her door. Still holding her in his arms, Clark shouldered the door out of the way and stepped across the threshold. Lana raised an eyebrow at that, but Clark just winked and said, "I'm getting in some practice for our honeymoon."

When Clark set Lana down, she wasted no time removing her coat and pulling Clark down with her to sit on her bed. As their hungry mouths moved closer together, Lana murmured, "Now, where were we?" and then her lips captured his with a passionate kiss as their clothes were sent flying. Soon, there was nothing between them except for the love they shared.

At last, Clark and Lana were together and moving toward the same goal, in life, as much as in bed. There were many special challenges ahead for them, from the everyday trials of a working marriage, to the real possibility of Lex becoming a host for Zod, to Lionel blackmailing Jonathan. But whatever challenges were set before them, they would face them together, now and forever more.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - Epilogue

Lana and Clark strolled along the beach hand-in-hand, enjoying the warmth of a Jamaican January. Off in the distance, close to where the family's belongings were arrayed on the sand, were their two children: Raya, who was eight years old and Clark, Jr., who was five.

The two children were industriously building…_something…_with brightly-colored plastic shovels and buckets to use as tools, though Clark wasn't quite sure exactly what it was supposed to be. Upon closer inspection, he thought they _might_ be making yet another sandcastle. When he suggested as much to his wife, she elbowed him lightly in the gut and said, "Of course they are, Honey. That's all Junior has been talking about since before we left home. This is just a really big sandbox for him, with the added bonus of cool water nearby."

"Kind of like our pool, huh? Except here, Junior doesn't have to shower off before he can go from the sandbox to the pool."

"Exactly. And of course, his daddy has been able to play with him more than usual."

At the reminder of the undeniable toll that his duties as Superman took on his family, Clark grimaced. He knew he'd missed many special occasions, and hadn't been able to spend the time with his wife and kids that he, and they, would've liked.

Lana didn't even have to look up to know how Clark was reacting. She had always been able to read him like a book, and now, after ten happy years of marriage, that ability had advanced to the point that he swore it was her superpower. He couldn't successfully hide _anything_ from her, so he had quit trying to years ago, which made them both happier. He liked being able to share anything with her, which was good, since she loved it when he did. They considered their open communication to be the bedrock of their marriage, the one thing upon which all else is based.

Lana squeezed Clark's hand and said, "Clark, don't start beating yourself up again because you can't be there for us 24/7. We both knew there'd be sacrifices involved when you started your second life. You are a _wonderful _husband and father. You're there for me and for each of our kids as much as is humanly, and even _Kryptonianly,_ possible."

Clark squeezed her hand in reply and gave a rueful smile. _I should've known better than to indulge in self-pity around Lana, not when I know she won't let me get away with it. She never has._

"Well," Clark said, "I'm sure we've all been enjoying the warm weather. I called Mom this morning. She said it was well below freezing in Smallville all day long yesterday."

"The warm weather _is_ nice, but what I'm enjoying most is the chance to spend some serious time alone with you. With all of the supervised children's activities here at the resort, we've actually had several entire afternoons alone."

"Yeah, if it wasn't for dinner, I don't think I would've _ever_ left that double hammock we were in yesterday." As they came close to where their kids were playing, Clark's thoughts turned to the next day's trip home, and he said, "This has been a wonderful vacation, Lana, too bad it's almost over." Looking over at her, he added, "I'm sorry it's been so long since our last real getaway. Next year, we'll do this again…I promise."

Lana leaned her head against Clark's shoulder and said, "I'm glad to hear it, and the kids will be, too."

When Junior finally looked up from his work and saw his parents, the sandcastle was momentarily forgotten as he stood up and ran over to them, yelling, "Mommy! Daddy!" As Junior reached out to latch his arms around his daddy's leg, Clark swooped down, pulled his squealing son into the air, and spun the boy around like he was flying. Clark, Jr. was already a big fan of Superman, which Lana knew Clark found to be very gratifying. When Junior made his own flying sound effects and declared that he was Superman, Clark began to tear up.

Clark and Lana shared a special smile and then headed over to the somewhat misshapen sandcastle. "Whatcha doin', Sugarplum?" he asked his daughter.

Raya rolled her eyes as if to ask, 'How obvious can it be?' and then reluctantly said, "It's Cinderella's castle, Daddy!"

"Well, would you and Junior like some help making your castle?" Clark asked.

Raya's eyes lit up as she asked, "You and Mommy are going to help us?" And when she received affirming nods from both parents, Raya said, "Cool! Come on, Clark, Mom and Dad are going to help us finish."

Clark, Jr. started to squirm as his signal that he wanted to be let down. Clark obliged his son, and the four Kents spent the next hour working under Raya's direction to complete Cinderella's castle. After lunch and a reapplication of heavy-duty sunscreen for everyone, they spent a good part of their last afternoon in paradise splashing around in the surf.

The next day, their lengthy vacation was over and they were flying home from the Jamaican capital, Kingston, to Metropolis with a short layover in Miami. After a day at home to rest up from the trip, the Kents drove out to Smallville to visit Grandpa and Grandma Kent at the farm.

Clark's parents always had some small gift for each of the children, but this time, the kids were proud to have something for their grandparents. They brought back souvenirs they had made in a crafts class for kids at the resort. While Martha and Jonathan oohed and aahed over their gifts, Clark and Lana were watching from the doorway.

"I love our kids," Clark whispered.

"Me, too," Lana said.

As Clark's hand traced lazy circles in the small of Lana's back, he turned to face her and said, "I've been thinking about what you said in Jamaica, and I agree. I think we can handle one more child, and this _is_ a good time for another one."

"Really? Do you mean it?" Lana didn't _really_ have to ask. She knew if he said it, he meant it. She was so excited, that she hugged Clark tightly and pulled him down for a lingering kiss.

Late that afternoon, after a day spent in various activities around the farm, including Clark, Jr.'s first tractor ride with his Grandpa, Martha put young Clark down for a nap in his daddy's old bedroom. Raya thought herself to be too old for naps, even when she had been busy all day long.

Unbeknownst to the children, this trip had been prearranged. After months of debate, they had finally decided that Raya was old enough to start learning the family secrets, from what causes her daddy to work such long hours, to where her daddy is from, to who she's really named after. Grandpa had been given the task of wearing out his grandson, so Clark could safely get away for a long one-on-one talk with his daughter.

Clark looked at Lana and said, "Now's as good a time as ever."

Lana nodded her head in agreement and Clark headed to the closet to collect his daughter's carnation pink winter coat as Lana asked, "Raya? Would you like to go outside with your daddy for a while? He has something important to talk to you about."

Raya had her nose buried in a book, but this request was so out of the ordinary, that she leapt at the chance. _What does Dad need to talk to me about? I can't be in trouble, I was good the whole time we were gone._

After being helped into her coat by Clark, Raya headed outside where she was scooped into the air and placed on her dad's shoulders in one smooth motion. He then gave her a piggyback ride across the tightly packed earth of the driveway, into the barn, and up the loft steps. She was giggling madly by the time he had set her down and turned on the lights, but something in his expression sobered her up quickly.

"What's up, Daddy?" Raya asked, sounding concerned.

Clark pointed his daughter to a seat on the old red couch and said, "Your mother and I have been watching you closely recently, Raya, and we think you're ready to handle some important secrets. What I'm about to tell you can't be talked about with anyone. That includes your little brother. He's too young and he likes to talk too much to too many people."

Raya was naturally a cautious child, one of the reasons her parents thought she was ready, so she said nothing and waited. Clark looked down as he pawed at the worn boards of the loft floor with the toe of one shoe while he searched for the right way to say 'Guess what? Your dad's Superman!'

Finally, he said, "You know there have been many times when I haven't been able to be around for your mother, you, and Junior. We've always told you it was work related. I'm not offering excuses, but today, I'm going tell you exactly what I do that keeps me away…I have a second job."

Confused just a bit, Raya asked, "You mean like Tommy Jackson's mom? She has two part-time jobs."

"Well…no, not exactly. My two jobs are more like full-time jobs. The one you know about is as a reporter for the Daily Planet. My second, very secret job, is that…" Clark disappeared in a blur and winked back into existence a split-second later, wearing his full Superman suit, and finished, "…I am Superman, and there's a lot for us to talk about. It will take us a long time to go over everything, but you can handle it. After all, you're named after the bravest woman I ever knew."


End file.
